Understanding the drivers of an entrepreneurial economy: lessons from Japan and the Netherlands*

Abstract

This chapter investigates the differences in entrepreneurial activity between Japan and the Netherlands. While the Netherlands may be recognized as a well-developed entrepreneurial economy, Japan appears more in a process of transition from a managed to an entrepreneurial economy. The authors attempt to identify the factors that facilitate or hinder the transformation process from a managed to an entrepreneurial economy. The individual contribution of explanatory variables is interpreted according to a benchmark that makes it easy to recommend specific policies for stimulating entrepreneurial activity.